"It's not a movie that can really be put into a genre box," Peele told Indiewire. "Originally, I set out to make a horror movie. I ended up showing it to people and hearing, you know, it doesn't even feel like horror. It's in this thriller world. So it was a social thriller."

"If I can be honest this is weird to me. [There] is nothing funny about racism," tweeted comedian Lil Rel Howery, an actor in the movie. "Was it that unrealistic?"

Some fans think that categorizing the movie as a comedy as opposed to a drama demeans the movie. "Get Out" is a terrifying movie about racism, they argue, and considering it a comedy trivializes that terror.

"What the movie is about is not funny," Peele told Indiewire. "I've had many black people come up to me and say, 'man, this is the movie we've been talking about for a while and you did it.' That's a very powerful thing. For that to be put in a smaller box than it deserves is where the controversy comes from."

But others are fine with the "comedy" label. Being funny is hardly a bad thing.

"People look at genre movies as joke and not real art," Jason Blum, the movie's producer, told Variety. "Some of our movies are better than others. But I'm very invested in everything I do. I don't want to make something unless I'm in love with it."

"I'm putting my audience through a lot of tension," Peele said. "Lil Rey Howery, who plays Rod, he's kind of the release valve for the audience."

And Howery, later on, seemed fine with the categorization.

In any case, it's important to remember that Golden Globes categorization is little more than an awards season strategy. The Globes has two main categories for movies to compete in: comedy or musical, and drama. The drama category is generally more competitive, so a studio will submit movies that may be on the line between comedy and drama to increase the movie's chance of winning.

Entertainment Weekly speculates that, as a comedy, "Get Out" will be competing against "The Greatest Showman," "The Disaster Artist," "The Big Sick," "I, Tonya," "Downsizing," "Battle of the Sexes," and "Lady Bird." It's tough competition, to be sure, but the drama category would include heavyweights like "Call Me By Your Name," "Darkest Hour," "Dunkirk," "The Post," and "The Shape of Water."

As a comedy, "Get Out" may have a better chance with awards season glory.

Sign up here to get INSIDER's favorite stories straight to your inbox.